Languages becoming extinct

 When the United Nations kicked off the International Year of Languages, it also issued a word of caution – ‘Languages matter!’

According to a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), more than half of the world’s 6,700 spoken languages are threatened with extinction.

On an average, one language disappears somewhere around the world every two weeks.

* More than half the world’s 6,700 spoken languages face extinction. Should we...

“Far from being a field reserved for analysis by specialists, languages lie at the heart of all social, economic and cultural life,” Unesco Director-General Kochiro Matsuura said.

According to language experts, 96 per cent of languages are spoken by only four per cent of the population.

Unesco held a series of events, including a round table discussion, a seminar, several presentations and an information workshop at its Paris headquarters as part of the launch of the International Year.

International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since 2000, and this year Unesco said it had placed special emphasis on international instruments and standards that encourage multi-lingualism.

The agency warned that when a language fades, so does a part of the world’s cultural tapestry.

“Opportunities, traditions, memory, unique modes of thinking and expression – valuable resources for ensuring a better future – are also lost,” said Matsuura.